Please read the following. The information relates to all OxMG events listed below.
Please scroll down the page for events other than the Winter Talks
In the unlikely event that we have to cancel an event; we will use social media and/or email communication to inform you as early as possible. Please therefore check before setting off on a long journey!
Winter Talks 2026
Our winter talks are usually held the first Monday of each month from October-March. There will be a mix of online and in person events, restrictions permitting (see details below).
For talks held at the amazing Oxford University Museum of Natural History, please arrive between 6.30pm and 6.55pm. OxMG Paid Members are free. Visitors are £3 each. There will be an opportunity for questions at the end and a visit to the Lamb and Flag after.
Monday, 12 October 2026 - 19.00 - 20.00
OU Museum of Natural History, Lecture Theatre
Title: The Fight Against the Rhino Horn Trade in Vietnam
Dr Michael Smith
About the event:
The perceptions of rhino horn as medicine for various ailments and as an object of wealth, power and desire spans both the West and the East. These perceptions that drive demand is reflected in the news and the news outputs of conservation groups. Perhaps indicative of this, African rhinos have repeatedly been hunted to the brink of extinction and returned. The fight to save them is happening again. This talk discusses Dr Michael Smith’s media criminology research on enforcement and behaviour change campaigns to fight the rhino horn trade in Vietnam. It draws on research both journalistic and academic.
About the speaker:
Michael Smith has a PhD in journalism and is a media criminologist and adjunct research fellow with the Griffith Criminology Institute in Brisbane Australia. His research focus in the last year as a Visiting Researcher at the Oxford Centre for Socio Legal Studies has been on international cooperation to fight the rhino horn trade in Vietnam. He first became interested in the rhino horn trade when he visited Vietnam’s Cat Tien National Park in 2010 as a journalist. He discovered a scandalous trade in rhino horn from South Africa to Vietnam. It was about to spiral out of control. Since Cat Tien, he has written several award-winning longform investigative pieces about the demand in Vietnam and the poaching frenzy in South Africa and has published in academic journals and books.
Monday, 9th November 2026 - 19:00 - 20:00
OU Museum of Natural History, Lecture Theatre
Title: Public Perception of Deer Culling in Scotland
by Jessica Frater
Monday, 7th December 2026 - 19:00 - 20:00
OU Museum of Natural History, Lecture Theatre
Title: Heat Stress in African Wild Dogs
by Jennifer Linden
Other Events in 2026
Saturday 19th September 2026
We will be at the Headington ECO Festival. Come and see us!
Sunday 25th October 2026
We will be at the Green Fair in Oxford. Come and see us!
November 2026 - Harvest Mouse Survey days
We will be running more Harvest Mouse Survey sessions at BBOWT's Wells Farm and welcome members to help with the survey. Previous surveys have helped protect the existing colony, identify new locations and have influenced how the land will be managed next year. Training and information about harvest mouse will be given. Look out for more information in an email to the membership group.
ENDED:
7pm Monday 23rd March 2026: Annual General Meeting (AGM)
Our AGM will be held at Rewley House and online on Zoom at 7pm (see email sent to members).
The formal business of an AGM includes the presentation and approval of reports, the election of a Committee to continue the work of the Group, and consideration of amendments to our Constitution.
We would encourage any member who thinks they might like to join the Committee to give it a go. Whether you have a particular role in mind or not, please put your yourself forward. Ideally, if you are thinking about it, it would be great if you could get in touch with me in advance to discuss your plans.
A Zoom link will be shared with members and included here ahead of the event.
Sunday 26th April 2026: Discover the mammals of Otmoor
In celebration of National Mammal Week (20-26 April 2026) our next event will be at Otmoor.
Free guided walks and display, for all ages
Where: Wetland Bird Hide at Otmoor
When: Sunday Apr. 26th, 11:00-15:00
For further events run by the Mammal Society please see the following link: https://mammal.org.uk/events
Past talks this year
12th January 2026
30 fail-safe mammal signs in the field
By: Bob Cowley
Time and Location: 7pm @ Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Mon 9th February 2026
Encounters in the forest: human-wildlife interactions in south-east Madagascar
By: Dr Claire Cardinal
Time and Location: 7pm @ Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Mon 9th March 2026
Pangolin Conservation
Time and Location: 7pm @ Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Many of our talks are available after the event on our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/c/OxfordshireMammalGroup
Please Note: For insurance purposes outdoor events are open only to Oxfordshire Mammal Group members. For more information about membership please see our Membership page.
